It is sinful, human nature to gripe about things. But, it is dangerous. Whining and complaining is like a nasty disease that will spread quickly and violently if it’s not treated right away! And we all know that once we have developed a bad habit it is not easy to turn it around! The sooner we can catch that nasty habit, and do something about it, the better!
Children seem to be especially prone to whining, and sadly many never outgrow it. Parents have to train them that they do not get what they want by whining but by being grateful and we have to train them to look for and see their blessings. At our house, with the Lord’s help, we’ve tried to think of ways we can discipline ourselves to worship instead of whine. Here are some new habits we are developing in our family.
*** Every time we pray before we ask the Lord for anything we first thank Him for something! This is a great way to train ourselves to see our blessings and praise the Lord for all He has done! God inhabits the praises of His people! That is where He lives, and dwells! And, it’s wonderful how gratitude always radically changes our outlook, our perspective…an added blessing!
*** When any of us is griping, or grumbling about anything, such as, their sister, their friend, their food, cleaning their room, putting their laundry away, loading the dishwasher, their schoolwork, their hair, their toys, not feeling well, the many chores of homemaking and motherhood, or whatever it is, then we stop and say “Do not complain about your blessings!”. When we look at what’s bothering us in a different light then we realize that we are really complaining about our blessings.
What if something happened to that precious sister, family member or friend!
What if we only had beans and rice as our one and only meal of the day or what if we had no food at all! What if we couldn’t make that trip to the grocery store with all those heavy bags to unload into the trunk then unload them again into the house then unload them again into the pantry? It’s all a blessing!!!
Some children would love to have a bedroom to clean with a bed of soft, warm covers and a pillow to make up, and clothes, shoes, toys and games to pick up and put away! And what a blessing that we are healthy enough to do these tasks!
What a blessing to have soap and hot water to wash dishes and an added blessing to have a machine that cleans them for us! And by the way, we have a machine for just about anything…we have machines that wash and dry the clothes, wash and dry the dishes, cook the food when and how we tell it to, sweep the floors! And when there are dishes to wash and a kitchen to clean that’s a sure reminder that there was food to eat and family or friends to share and enjoy a meal with!!!
There are children in the world that long to go to school and learn! There are children and adults who only dream of having shelves full of books to read anytime they want, school supplies and workbooks and pencils and paper and crayons and computers! My goodness! And what else? Eyes to see, ears to hear, hands and fingers to write, a mind to think.
And most of the time whatever we are going through, whatever illness or condition, we can always be so thankful it is not worse than it is.
On and on we can go, because our blessings are so rich and bountiful when we think about how much we don’t do without and the multitude of annoyances, trials or horrors we do not have to endure!!! We have nothing to complain about and much, much, much to be thankful for!!!
*** Lastly, the newest habit we are implementing is this. As soon as one of us starts whining we stop them and immediately they must say, “A blessing I am thankful for is______________.” This turns our whine into worship right away!
It’s so good to share new ideas for living out God’s Word in a real way! What are ways that you have turned whine into worship? Has it become a way of life for you, for your family?
Walking with Jesus &
Growing in grace,
~photos courtesy of Amazima Ministries
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